Father Knows Best

Family's A Picture Of Devotion To Growth

June 20, 1993|By Mark Mandernach.

"We never planned a family this size, that's for sure," she said. "We assumed we'd have kids, of course, but we never set a specific number or anything like that. Our first three children were girls, then we were hoping for a boy. Our fourth child was a boy, then we had another girl, then we had 11 straight boys."

The Dorns' family tree would probably be a sequoia. Donna, 32, is the oldest. She helps keep EGD's accounting books in order. Donna and her husband, Ed Moloney, a TV/VCR repairman, have three children, with a fourth on the way. Kathleen, 31, is an account executive at EGD and recently married Roger Williams, an electronic engineer. Mary, 30, works at Countrywide Workshop in Palatine. Eddie, 27 is the production manager at EGD. Linda, 26, is a chemist at Abbott Laboratories and married financial planner Tom Chernesky in April.

Bob, 25, is a garage door installer and is getting married in October. Steve, 24, is the studio photographer at EGD. John, 23, is a student at William Rainey Harper Junior College. Brian, 22, is a manager at Garibaldi's in Arlington Heights. Jeff, 21, and Mike, 20, also attend Harper College. Scott, 19, is a freshman at St. Norbert College in Green Bay, Wis., studying accounting. Dave, 18, is a senior at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, where he plays football and volleyball. James, 16, is a junior at St. Viator and an apprentice artist at EGD. Mark, 15, is a sophomore at St. Viator and is interested in the FBI. And Dan, 14, will be a freshman at St. Viator in the fall.

Oh yes, don't forget the family dogs, 38, a mixed breed, and Noelle, a golden retriever.

"At first, people don't believe it when I tell them I'm the father of 16 children," Dorn said. "They think I'm a wise guy or something. The question they always ask is, `How do you manage?' Well, you have to be a little lucky, you have to have a big house and a reliable washing machine. You don't think too much about it, or you go a little crazy. It works out somehow."

"How do we manage?" Cecilia asked. "That's a good question, and I've been asked it a lot of times over the years. Let's just say that with so many different schedules we all have, the dinnerbell rings for a long time every night."